Republican approval rating falls to lowest point in Gallup poll history

Only 28 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of the Republican Party, according to the latest Gallup poll, taken after Sen. Ted Cruz’s 21-hour speech and the subsequent government shutdown. (Getty Images)

No, Republicans, the Gallup Poll is not a limbo contest.

Republicans seem to be playing “how low can you go.” Just 28 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of the GOP, according to the latest monthly Gallup tracking poll. The number ” is the lowest favorable rating measured for either party since Gallup began asking this question in 1992,” the polling company stated.

The number is 10 points lower than the party scored in the same poll in September.

Democrats, meanwhile, got a favorable rating from only 43 percent of respondents, down four points from last month.

The contrasting numbers seem to demonstrate the way blame for the government shutdown is being allocated to the respective parties by the public.

The poll surveyed 1,028 adults between Oct. 3 and Oct. 6.

The only similar trend in the poll’s history was the rating of Republicans after the vote to impeach President Bill Clinton in December 1998. Then, Republicans dropped 12 points, from 43 percent to 31 percent, although the party’s popularity recovered somewhat in subsequent months.